Analyzing the Lions' draft

The experts are raving about the Lions' trade of the No. 6 pick to the Browns, to simply fall back to No. 7 and acquire the No. 37 pick overall. Here's what they're saying about:

Roy Williams

CNN/SI: Williams and the Lions' first-round choice last season, Charles Rogers, should combine to give Joey Harrington a dangerous young receiving tandem to throw to. This is a great pick for the Lions at this point. The Lions had the worst offense in the NFL in '03. How can this not help? Yeah, the Lions still need a running game -- last season, they averaged 83.6 running yards a game, worst in the league -- but they picked up a second-round pick in swapping places with the Browns, so look for Detroit to look at some running backs there.

Dan Pompei of The Sporting News: 7. Roy Williams, WR, Lions (from Browns). This is a great value at the seventh pick, and the Lions also received a second-round pick from the Browns to move down. The Browns overpaid to move up, and this was an absolute steal for the Lions. In time, it will be nearly impossible to defend Williams, Charles Rogers and Joey Harrington. The Lions were better off going with Williams than with a running back.

ESPN.com: This was a surprise. The Lions made out like bandits, getting the Browns' second-round pick (No. 37) in order to move down a single spot. The tradeoff was they didn't get Winslow or a running back, but they did get a receiver to play opposite Charles Rogers and give them one of the best young wide receiving corps in the NFL.

Vic Carucci of NFL.com: His stock was on a steady climb in the days leading up to the draft. I thought there was a possibility he could go as high as No. 2 to Oakland, but his joining the Lions makes perfect sense. He is an extremely disciplined route runner, which is the exact quality Steve Mariucci wants in a receiver in his horizontal passing game. Williams will definitely help make Joey Harrington a better quarterback.

ESPN.com has NFL Player analysis: Vikings DB Corey Chavous: The biggest surprise of the draft (so far) was Roy Williams falling to the Detroit Lions at No. 7. Pairing Williams with last year's No. 2 pick overall Charles Rogers could give the Lions one of the best receiving tandems in the history of the game if they both work hard enough. The Lions now have a ton of speed at receiver and two guys who'll compete for the No. 1 receiving spot, which should only make them better.

Pro Football Weekly Of the premier receivers in this draft, Williams has the best speed, although not as great as either Charles Rogers or Andre Johnson a year ago to warrant the No. 2 overall pick. He's a playmaker whose production slipped while playing with a young, athletic quarterback at Texas, but he has the gamebreaking ability to dominate at the next level. The Lions stayed true to their plan to get three or four starters in this draft, picking up the Browns' second-round selection in return for moving down one slot.

Kevin Jones

CNN/SI: Trade, trade and trade again. The fourth straight one. The Lions stepped into this spot, swapping with the Chiefs, to get their second first-round pick. And what a pick. After grabbing wideout Roy Williams with the No. 7 overall selection, the Lions grabbed Jones, a speedy guy with great moves and strength to burn. They've upgraded their poor offense to good, or better. Wow. They're the leaders in the clubhouse as best draft so far.

Pompei: 30. Kevin Jones, RB, Lions (from Chiefs). What a fantastic first round for the Lions. This guy could be the best back in the draft, and the Lions already picked up Roy Williams, the guy who could be the best receiver in the draft. The Detroit offense is much faster and more explosive than it was yesterday.

ESPN.com: This is shaping up to be a great draft for the Lions and beleaguered GM Matt Millen. After ignoring the running back position for WR Roy WIlliams with their first pick, they trade back into the first round to draft RB Kevin Jones, the second-rated back behind Steven Jackson in this class.

Vic Carucci of NFL.com: You have to love what the Lions have done in this draft so far. They manuevered well to get a great receiver in Roy Williams with the seventh overall pick and made another impressive move by going up from the second round to get Kevin Jones, who some had rated as the best running back in the draft. His outside speed will be put to good use by Steve Mariucci.

ESPN.com experts' roundtable: Scouts, Inc's Todd McShay: Jones needs to improve in the passing game -- both his hands and blocking -- but I think he'll emerge as their starter from Day 1 on. He is a definate upgrade at the position and he's a good fit in an offense that clearly is looking to open things up more with Charles Rogers and Roy Williams. I like the Lions' draft more than any other teams to this point.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline: The Lions desperately needed a back, and after passing on one earlier in the round, they made a bold move to go up and get Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones, the top back on our board. We love this move by the Lions, especially after they added Roy Williams earlier in the round. Joey Harrington has to be one happy quarterback. Grade: A+

Pro Football Weekly: Jones' stock took a dive after being timed above 4.6 in the 40 at his pro-day workout. He plays faster than he times, but he bulked up after the season and lost a step. The problem with Jones is that he runs east-west too much and dances in the hole instead of getting upfield quickly. He was not much of a factor in the passing game and has had problems holding on to the football, which likely contributed to his fall. The advantage of dropping so far is that he will get a chance to start immediately with the lack of depth in the Lions' backfield.

Teddy Lehman

CNN/SI: We love the Lions' picks. They went with Lehman here, and you could almost hear the champagne corks popping in Detroit. This guy turns on the switch and never turns it off. He's relentless. Not as talented as some of the other linebackers, but he makes up for it with his high-revving motor. The Lions will love this guy, and so will Detroit fans.

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com: Lehman is a versatile outside linebacker that can also play inside. He has good first-step quickness, good key and diagnose and if he plays weakside linebacker in the 4-3 defense, he will have over 100 tackles once he becomes a starter. With Barrett Green gone, that could be sooner rather than later. The Lions are having a very good draft.

ESPN.com: Scouts, Inc's Todd McShay: Lehman is a safe pick for the Lions in the second round. He may never be an elite player in the NFL, but he is tough against the run and has good straight-line speed. Lehman and Boss Bailey make a solid young linebacker duo.

Pro Football Weekly: The Lions got a great value in the second round a year ago, when Boss Bailey fell to the second round. Lehman is not the athlete that Bailey is, but he is a very tough, hard-nosed player who could compete with James Davis for the WLB spot vacated by Barrett Green. The Butkus Award winner is similar to Detroit GM Matt Millen when he was a player, and at the least he should contribute on special teams immediately.

Smith is a "Yes, sir, no, sir," kind of guy thanks to his military background in Louisiana. He gained weight this past year and probably didn't play as well this year as he did last year.

Pro Football Weekly: Smith is an experienced four-year starter who could challenge for the No. 3 CB job behind Dre' Bly and recently acquired Fernando Bryant. He has not faced elite competition but was a shutdown corner at the Division I-AA level.